On Wednesday we had a working party of 8. Good job because we had all the side rod bushes to fit. We got a good system where half the team manhandled the rods out of deviation shed to the press in the NYMR running shed while the other half of the team pressed the bushes in. It's a heavy job with a total of 6 rods to move and lift. By the end of the day all bushes were successfully pressed in.

Also on Wednesday the right hand driving horn was re-shimmed to suit the machined axlebox. The left hand was shimmed last Saturday. I and Chris Lawson using the inside micrometer loaned from the NYMR machine shop by Keith Pardy measured the horn gap. There is a slight adjustment to be made to the bottom of the right hand liner and it will be ready to accept the driving wheelset.

On Saturday Brian Armstrong welded the new front grate bearer in place and with the help of the Saturday team refitted the grate. We will need one new side bar and a couple of normal firebars then it will be ready to have a fire lit on it.

Also on Saturday the main coupling attached the tender to the loco. All hands were required to tighten the coupling against the large spring that keeps the tender and loco pressed together. There's another couple of inches to go before the cotter will fit in.

This week we will be able to assemble the side rods and finish the right hand horn liner. When the B1 is clear of the wheel drops the A4 needs a spring changing, then we should be able to get the Q6 on the wheel drop. As soon as it returns to Deviation Shed we can fit the side and connecting rods and the loco is effectively complete. It's getting very exiting so why not give us a hand.